The invention relates to a new method and chair-bicycle assembly to be used for exercise aimed at maintaining and improving the health of elderly and handicapped people in wheelchairs.
Elderly and handicapped people commonly use manual, mechanical, and electrical wheelchairs. Presently these wheelchairs are only used for sitting and transportation without having any means of medical rehabilitation for maintaining and improving a user""s health through physical exercise.
Ergonomic bicycles are often used for medical purposes. These ergonomic bicycles are typically stationary exercise bicycles that we will refer to as bicycles. These bicycles have a braking system and a device indicating the effort made during exercise and are used as follows: a person sits on a bicycle saddle holding on to a handle bar and exercises his/her legs using two pedals.
The bicycles are currently used by people who can move without assistance devices and who can sit on a bicycle saddle. The disadvantage of these bicycles is that those who cannot sit on a bicycle saddle, such as the majority of elderly and handicapped people, are unable to use these bicycles because this position would be uncomfortable. Overweight and lack of balance are common conditions of elderly and handicapped people, which prevent them from using this type of bicycle.
The exercise method and chair-bicycle assembly allows elderly and certain handicapped people who are bound to a wheelchair to exercise their legs in order to maintain or improve their health, as well as to recover from certain handicap conditions. The exercise method uses an assembly that with some modifications combines a wheelchair with a bicycle type assembly. The assembly of the two elements provides an apparatus enabling people who use wheelchairs and who cannot sit on a bicycle saddle or are not able to leave their wheelchairs to exercise their legs.
The chair-bicycle assembly is comprised of a wheelchair equipped with a shifting device that allows the wheelchair seat to be adjusted back and forth according to each user""s needs. The shifting device allows the wheelchair with a cushion to be locked in a pre-determined position, according to the distance to bicycle pedals. A grooved wheel stop on each posterior support leg of the bicycle assures the fit of the front wheels of the wheelchair on these legs to prevent forward movement of the wheelchair. Hooked shaped coupling arms couple the lateral inferior bars of the wheelchair with the posterior support legs of the exercise apparatus to prevent backward movement of the wheelchair. These elements together with the braking system of the wheelchair assure a rigid connection between the wheelchair and the bicycle type assembly.
In order to adjust the handle bar of the bicycle type assembly according to each user""s needs, a small telescopic device is placed on the intermediary bar of the bicycle type assembly. This telescopic device allows the user to obtain an optimal position through height and tilt adjustment of the handle bar.
A braking device acting on the wheel of the bicycle type assembly includes a plastic fabric tape which partially covers the bicycle wheel. This tape is connected with a cable through a spring. The cable is attached to a braking adjustment handle that the user can control to increase or decrease the effort applied to the pedals of bicycle type assembly. An indicative device is installed in connection with the bicycle type assembly wheel and the plastic fabric tape, allowing the indication of the effort exerted on the pedals and respectively, on the bicycle type assembly wheel.
Both posterior support legs of the bicycle type assembly are provided with adjustable knobs allowing lateral telescopic shifting. The posterior support legs have grooved wheel stops for receiving the anterior wheels of the wheelchair. The same legs also have couplings to connect the wheelchair to the bicycle type assembly through two arms.
The advantage of the chair-bicycle assembly is that it allows elderly and some handicapped people who use a wheelchair to maintain and improve their health by exercising. Also, this method and assembly allow a person using the equipment to control and set optimal conditions for exercise, in particular the exercise position and the effort to be made.